Tuesday March 22, 2016

Down syndrome discrimination based on misinformation, prejudice

Nico Montoya, a 13-year-old boy with Down syndrome, with his mother Alejandra Garcia, centre, and his sister Tania at their home in Richmond Hill, Ont. The family was denied permanent Canadian residency arguing Down Syndrome would be a burden on taxpayers. (Mark Blinch/CP)

The Current reached out to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for their response. They sent us a statement which reads, in part:

"Due to privacy concerns IRCC cannot comment on individual cases without consent...[However], Canada's immigration law does not discriminate against those with illness or disability. It does strive to find the appropriate balance between those wanting to emigrate to Canada, and the limited medical resources that are paid for by Canadian taxpayers."

"No particular health condition makes an applicant automatically inadmissible to Canada.Each applicant is assessed on an individual basis, taking into consideration the current state of their health condition, the probable prognosis, the anticipated health and social service costs, and the potential impact on waiting lists."

This segment was produced by Sarah Grant, Catherine Kalbfleisch and Vanessa Greco.